Sample Standard: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping colonial history and settlement in the United States.
Grade Level: 5
Time: 10-15 Minutes
Materials: Clue cards (one set per group), small prizes
Group Size: Any. Divide students into teams of 4-5. A heterogeneous grouping works best for this activity.
Activity:
Create sets of clue cards for each group of students that have one colony clue per card. Distribute the same card one at a time to each group.
Students will work together for one minute to guess the colony that relates to the first clue. Have a representative write down the guess on the score sheet next to #1.
Then distribute the second clue card to each group and allow another minute for them to guess the colony and write it next to #2.
Continue until all of the clues have been revealed. Collect the answer sheets from each group to determine which one guessed the colony correctly with the fewest number of clues. Prizes may be awarded to the winning team(s).
This process may be repeated with additional colonies on subsequent days.
Sample Clue Cards for Maryland:
- Declared independence from Britain in 1776.
- By 1775, 40 percent of its population was black.
- Tobacco was its cash crop.
- It is located on the Mason-Dixon Line.
- Its capitol is Annapolis.
Adaptations for above level students:
Have students write a journal entry stating why they would/would not have wanted to live in that colony.
Adaptation for lower level and ELL students:
Appoint a fluent reader in each group to read the clues aloud.
Submitted by Adrianne Roggenbuck, a former teacher who is currently a training consultant with The Bob Pike Group.
